Turkey no longer sees civil society as dangerous

The increasing number of people volunteering for civil society groups, which have flourished over the last 10 years, proves that the influence of the 1980 coup is diminishing.

Taking into account the devastating effects of the 1980 coup, which turned political engagement into an action that should be strictly avoided, the rise of civil society and the growing number of people devoting their time to it may be clear evidence that the de-politicization of society has begun to lose ground.

“While we still face some people who are suspicious about our activities, I can clearly say people generally hold a more positive opinion of participating in nongovernmental institutions when comparing the current situation with that of 20 years ago,” said Mehmet Özkara, head of the board of directors of the Kimse Yok Mu (Is Anybody There) charitable foundation. He added that people who harbor doubts about civil society and volunteering tend to be relatively older. The youth, he said, are more likely to join NGOs.

Commenting on the destructive effects of military coups on the development of democracy in the country, Özkara said words such as “organization” and “membership” took on a new connotation following the 1980 military coup. He noted that parents always warn their children as they leave to attend a university not to engage in politics or participate in any organizations due to their perception of civil society organizations. “When anyone says ‘association’ or ‘foundation,’ people mostly think of leftist political organizations or mosque associations, whose main purpose is to provide financial support to mosques. People do not consider civil society organizations an opportunity to serve people,” he added.

Comparing the understanding of civil society in the West and in Turkey, Özkara stressed the importance of education, saying individuals are always encouraged to volunteer from early childhood. “This is what we need,” he noted.

Agreeing with Özkara on the differences between the educational approaches in Turkey and the Western world, Avni Özgürel, a journalist, pointed to the historical background of volunteerism in Turkish culture and its roots in the waqf (endowment) system of the Ottoman era. “In the early republican period, however, any civil society mobilization was seen as dangerous and threatening to the establishment. This led to their strict containment,” Özgürel added.

Drawing attention to the power of NGOs throughout the world and in Turkey, Özgürel highlighted that civil society organizations have emerged as the determining actors in decision-making. “In Western democracies, NGO s are instrumental in preparing law proposals. Furthermore, they have the power to put pressure on the government to discuss matters in Parliament.”

Özgürel also touched upon the differences in the perception of civil society mechanisms from the perspectives of pro-establishment and conservative segments in Turkish society, noting that over the last decade, the main motive behind pro-establishment groups engaging in volunteer work has been to counter the growing activities of conservative NGOs. He also criticized them for being exclusive. “You can understand where they stand by simply looking at their associations’ names. For example, the Atatürkist Thought Association [ADD] has an exclusionary vision of society. However, the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples [MAZLUM-DER], a human rights group primarily established by conservative people, has members of every stripe -- the mother of a Kurdistan Workers’ Party [PKK] member or a former member of a radical leftist gang suffering from human rights violations,” Özgürel said. “The main reason behind people engaging in mobilizing the society is the effects of the 1980 coup and the postmodern military intervention of Feb. 28 [1997]. People can no longer remain silent to this injustice.”

Uygar Özesmi, general director of Greenpeace Mediterranean, stressed that incessantly growing threats to the environment are an important factor pushing the public to get involved in civil society work. “The world has been undergoing a great transformation with regard to the perception of civil society and has begun to notice that it is an indispensable need to overcome global problems like environmental change. This also means Turkey cannot remain unchanged.” He also drew attention to the need for a mechanism that would allow NGOs to cooperate effectively to achieve their common purpose.